Azam Baki: MACC not investigating Zeti’s husband
The MACC is not investigating Tawfiq Ayman, the husband of former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, over his alleged link to the 1MDB scandal, said MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki.
Hev said this is because the graft buster was only tasked to repatriate 1MDB funds from Singapore, although he acknowledged Tawfiq (above) is being probed by the police.
"A task force involving the MACC and the police (has been set up) in the investigation into 1MDB. In Tawfiq's case, the task given to the MACC was to repatriate the amount of (1MDB) funding from Singapore.
"The police conducted an investigation (against Tawfiq). The investigation paper, I think that is still ongoing. The police may refer the investigation paper to the Attorney-General’s Chambers once the investigation is completed," he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.
In November last year, the MACC announced that Singapore had repatriated to Malaysia US$15.4 million in 1MDB-linked funds which involved a company co-owned by Tawfiq.
Zeti and her husband again came under the spotlight when former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner, who testified before the New York Eastern District Court last week, spoke of bribery involving Tawfiq.
However, he could not independently verify if a bribe was indeed paid.
Tawfiq had denied Leissner's claim and said he did not know Leissner and Ng. He claimed that he never received any bribe throughout his life.
Leissner is the star witness in the ongoing United States 1MDB-linked court trial of another former Goldman Sachs banker, Roger Ng.
Leissner explained that he had heard through Ng - Leissner's subordinate at the time - that 1MDB had invested US$1 billion (RM4 billion) into the PetroSaudi-1MDB joint venture.
According to The Edge, the transfers totalling US$16.22 million took place in 2008 and 2009 and were flagged to Bank Negara in 2015 and 2016 when Singapore began investigating 1MDB linked transfers.
Azam’s case
On another development, Azam declined to comment on the finding of the Security Commission (SC) which cleared him of any wrongdoing as the commission found Azam was in control of his trading account.
He said he has given enough explanation and that the matter has come to an end.
"I don't want to say anymore because, to me, this (case) is closed," he said when asked to comment on the SC's finding, which is contradictory to Azam's explanation that his trading account was used by his brother to purchase shares.
"That's my answer, I think I have explained enough," he said.
Azam drew criticism over his ownership of 1,930,000 shares in Gets Global Berhad (previously KBES Berhad) on April 30, 2015, worth around RM772,000 at the time.
His shareholding in Gets Global Berhad went down to 1,029,500 as of March 31, 2016, worth around RM340,000 at the time.
He also held 2,156,000 warrants in Excel Force MSC Berhad in March 2016.
The share ownership in 2015 and 2016 had raised questions on whether it was commensurate with his income as a public servant and conflict of interest concerns.
Azam claimed the shares were not his but purchased by his brother in his name, prompting the SC to also get involved over the possible misuse of his trading account.
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